Power bill, a guessing game<\/p>\n
Apriadi Gunawan, The Jakarta Post\/Medan<\/p>\n
It turns out that constant electricity blackouts are not the only
\nthing that customers have had to suffer.<\/p>\n
In Medan city, electricity customers might not have been
\ncharged fairly since their monthly bills have been based only on
\nestimates of usage.<\/p>\n
In the last 20 months, workers in charge of recording
\nelectricity meters from house to house have been guessing the
\ncustomers' electricity usage as they have not been provided with
\ntransportation money to check the meters.<\/p>\n
The staff coordinator in charge of reading electricity meters
\nin East Medan district, Syahrial, said the workers knew this
\npractice could disadvantage customers but they were forced to do
\nit since they were not given money to visit the customers'
\nhouses.<\/p>\n
\"How can we visit customers' houses if we have no
\ntransportation money. We'd rather stay home and estimate the
\ncustomers electricity consumption based on their previous bill,\"
\nSyahrial told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Some 400 officials in charge of recording electricity meters
\nstaged a protest at North Sumatra's PLN office on Tuesday,
\nthreatening to go on strike for the failure of PLN's partner
\ncompany PT Citra Kontrak to pay their transportation money.<\/p>\n
Syahrial claimed that based on their contract, every employee
\nis entitled to receive Rp 38,000 (US$3.80) as transportation
\nmoney per day to visit customers' houses but it's been 20 months
\nsince they were paid.<\/p>\n
Previously, he added, when their payment was still taken care
\nof by PLN's partner CV Padat Karya, they received their
\ntransportation money on time.<\/p>\n
Another coordinator from Medan Labuhan district, M. Taufik,
\nsaid the workers would go on strike until Aug. 30 if they were
\nnot given their transportation money.<\/p>\n
He asserted that the strike would put PLN in a difficult
\nposition. \"How can PLN charge the customers if we don't record
\nthe customers' electricity usage,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
PLN's deputy communication manager, Syafi'i Taher, confirmed
\nthat the company was trying to find out why the workers'
\ntransportation money was not being paid.<\/p>\n
\"We are still investigating the case. If it's true that PT
\nCitra Kontrak has not paid the staff yet, then PLN will
\nimmediately cut its partnership with the company and find a new
\none. PLN does not want trouble,\" Syafi'i told The Jakarta Post.<\/p>\n
However, he played down the strike threat, advising the
\nworkers to reconsider their move. \"PLN has no direct connection
\nwith them. If they go on strike, we can find other people to do
\nthe job. With regards the customers' bills, we can charge them
\nthe same as the previous month,\" Taher said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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